MY 5 FAVORITE “TO DIE FOR” PIES IN LA

I don’t know if you knew this but… calories don’t count in November or December. I know it’s weird, but if there were a time to feed those pie cravings, it’d definitely be now. I’ve been on a pie adventure lately, well truthfully I’ve been on a pie adventure all my life, but in the spirt of the holidays and giving slightly less f*cks about sugar consumption, I’ve been doing a bit of taste testing with proven positive results. Some slices I’ve revisited, some I’ve just discovered, but in honor of truly #treatingyoself these are my top 5 favorite pies in LA right now!

1. WINSTON PIES

Winston Pies is the “new kid on the block” one might say, since they just opened in Brentwood only a few weeks ago! Naturally I was hot on the scent of a dedicated pie shop and went in just a week or so ago to see for myself. I have to say, I’m not typically a chocolate dessert person but Winston’s Chocolate Cowgirl pie with handmade fresh caramel, rich responsibly-sourced Ecuadorian chocolate, and a salty oatmeal crust is quite possibly one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten. Dead. Serious. Winston doesn’t make a bad pie, and they make quite the variety in all shapes and forms – hand pies, mini pies, slices, whole pies, cold pies, warm pies, fruit pies, nut pies, custard pies… you get the picture. If I have a “new favorite” pie joint, this would hands down be it.

11678 San Vicente Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90049

2. MAGPIES

My love for Magpies Softserve knows no bounds. I could visit every day and never tire from their delicious frozen treats and crafty handmade toppings. But what may surprise you is that Magpies doesn’t just do simple softserve, they do frozen pies as well. And good lord are they good. They do their own special takes on classics like apple, pumpkin, chocolate, banana, and so forth but they’re made with soft serve ice cream and toppings – a few are even vegan. I actually ordered their Pumpkin Pecan Pie this year for my very own Thanksgiving celebrations because I know it’ll be a total hit!

11678 San Vicente Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90049

3. CAKE MONKEY

Cake Monkey is just one of those bakeries that has never made a mediocre treat in their life. I’m almost mad every time I have a bite of something they made because it’s so damn good. I’ve had an addiction to their Sticky Toffee Blondie bars for years, and I can’t walk into the shop without buying at least one mini cake, but around this time of year the thing to get at Cake Monkey are hands down the pies. Just reading the words “Butterscotch Pudding Pie” and “Honey Braised Pumpkin Tart” makes me want to drive over there and eat one immediately. These are such wonderful and unique takes on classic pies and are such fun pies to have at a gathering – they’re just crowd pleasers, what can they say? Not to mention, Cake Monkey has Gluten Free pie options too – everyone wins!

7807 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036

4. SARI SARI STORE

So this one’s a bit out there, random perhaps, but if there’s a slice of pie that has just completely blown my mind and opened my eyes to a whole new world it’s Sari Sari’s Buko Pie. I just wrote about the full Sari Sari experience last week, but surprisingly enough the big highlight for me was this creamy, coconuty, custardy, flaky crusted Buko pie! With the mastermind behind the pie being the same pastry chef mastermind at Republique, I could have gone the more obvious route I suppose and listed Republique as one of my favorites. But truth be told, Sari Sari’s pie is just something different and I get the sense it’s a bit more special since it truly ties into chef Margarita Manzke’s heritage and roots.

317 S Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90013

5. APPLE PAN

If there’s one place on this list that exemplifies “classic LA”, “tried and true”, “can’t go wrong”, etc., it’d be the good old Apple Pan. And the best part about having pie at the Apple Pan is that you also usually get a delicious burger to go with it – all around win win in my opinion. First you have to get a hickory burger with a side of fries, and then you have to finish the meal off with at least one slice of banana cream or apple pie *a la mode*. Can’t go wrong either way, and if you want to take a pie home with you, slice or whole, you can do that too. You don’t get more quintessential than Apple Pan, their simple recipes have stood the test of time for good reason – you can just taste the history.